National coach travel management
solutions for business

Coach Hire Connections is the UK's leading coach travel management company, providing corporate and private coach hire clients access to a national network of approved and audited coach operators through a single point of contact.

Connections was formed in 2000 and is part of The Kings Ferry Travel Group based in Kent, (in turn part of the National Express Group), providing coach hire and travel management solutions for a range of corporate clients including the BBC, the Metropolitan Police Service, EDF Energy, O2, the Civil Aviation Authority, Avon and See Tickets.

Put simply, Connections makes coach hire simple; whether the requirement is for one coach servicing a single destination or a fleet of 30 travelling nationwide. "We can manage the complete coach hire process, from sourcing the most competitive suppliers, right through to the end - providing one invoice to the client and full MI reporting," said Connections' commercial director, Danny Elford.

Outsourcing coach hire to a specialist has many advantages and can help companies to manage their coach hire costs. Connections works with an approved network of more than 300 operators around the country, enabling it to source the right vehicles for customers' needs, whether it is a mini coach or full VIP services, and no matter where in the country they need to go.

"Our real time quote management system also enables us to get our customers the best available market prices much faster than they could themselves," said Mr Elford. And, when the booking is complete, the customer receives only one invoice detailing all of the services used – even if multiple operators supplied vehicles for the job.

By managing a company's coach hire centrally, Connections gives business travel buyers full and real time knowledge of their coach travel costs and will provide management information reports tailored to the requests of each company. It also gives them confidence and reassurance that they are meeting their Duty of Care requirements by ensuring that all staff are travelling with suppliers who are audited and meet the industry's statutory obligations.

In addition to ensuring compliance with Duty of Care, working with Connections can also help companies meet their own CSR targets; Connections is part of The Kings Ferry Travel Group who was the first international coach operator to become carbon neutral, and coach is the most environmentally friendly form of group transport.

"With pressure now increasing on organisations to provide staff with access to an approved supply of safe, managed and environmentally efficient transport, Connections offers a viable solution that can help companies reduce their carbon footprint," said Danny Elford.

For large corporate clients Connections can also provide a bespoke self booking tool that can empower a whole organisation to efficiently manage its own coach hire. Called Connections Plus, the software can allows staff to obtain coach hire quotes, make bookings or check transfer details any time, night or day, from any location with web access. It can be hosted on a company's intranet or at an external web address and booking privileges can be restricted to limited users in order to keep control of bookings.

Another example of how Connections has taken an innovative approach to technology is www.connections-live.co.uk – the industry's first tendering website which was launched in December 2008 to streamline operations and improve efficiency. Connections Live! enables registered and vetted coach companies to tender for jobs that are posted on the website. Operators are alerted by email to news jobs which can be filtered according to relevant factors such as location, vehicle type and date.

Additional services from Connections include contingency planning and on-site management. Connections offers a coach hire solution to enable the transport element of any contingency plan, whether it is an emergency reaction or a planned response to industrial disputes, to run smoothly. For event travel with multiple pick ups and drop offs at various locations, Connections can provide dedicated and experienced on-site managers who will manage the coach transportation on the day and ensure everything runs smoothly, enabling organisers to focus on running the event.

Connections can also provide coach hire services for private clients and one off events. Suitable vehicles will be sourced, based on individual requirements, and a committed account manager will look after the booking right through to a satisfactory completion.